​Hope Academy uses a Schoolwide Enrichment Program (SEP) to elevate learning for all scholars. The SEP promotes the use of gifted outcomes for ALL scholars, in contrast to the traditional practice of giving gifted students access to  learning experiences that are different from those of non-gifted students. We believe that all scholars benefit from these non-traditional approaches to learning.​

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Classroom and enrichment activities enhance the integration of advanced content and individual scholars' interests, emphasizing higher level thinking skills, problem solving, critical thinking skills, research skills, personal growth and human relations exercises, leadership skills, and creative expression. Enrichment classes include music, visual arts, German, Spanish, leadership, computer science, and physical education. These classes compliment the standard courses, which include math, science, social studies, English, and reading. Gifted outcomes are also used in planning standard course instruction.

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“Gifted learners need learning experiences that are rich. That is, they need learning experiences that are organized by key concepts and principles of a discipline rather than by facts. They need content that is relevant to their lives, activities that cause them to process important ideas at a high level, and products that cause them to grapple with meaningful problems and pose defensible solutions. They need classrooms that are respectful to them, provide both structure and choice, and help them achieve more than they thought they could. These are needs shared by all learners, not just those who are gifted.”  

--Carol Ann Tomlinson, Ed. D. The University of Virginia

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Scholars’ learning experiences are made relevant through well-planned school field trips and educational tours. For example:

• Preschool scholars have watched live-action plays as they see literature come to life before their eyes.

• Kindergarten scholars have visited the zoo.  

• 1st grade scholars have conducted a service learning project at the Humane Society of South Mississippi.

• 2nd grade scholars have learned about marine biology through interactive tours at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies.

• 3rd grade scholars have learned about agriculture and farming through the annual Learning Rodeo.

• 4th grade scholars have learned about Mississippi History throughout the year, and that learning is complimented through their Blues Music curriculum and a three-day visit to the heartland of American blues music, The Mississippi Delta.

• 5th grade scholars have studied American History, and culminated that learning through a trip to the American Village and Desoto Caverns.

• Middle School scholars are eligible for a three-year rotation of educational tours around the United States--

  • Year 1 - a trip to Boston, Massachusetts where scholars see history come alive at the Boston Harbor and other Boston-area historical buildings and sites.

  • Year 2 - after learning about how the Constitution of the United States was developed by our forefathers and how our government works, Middle School scholars take a trip to Washington D.C. to see where it all happens.

  • Year 3 - scholars take a STEM-based trip to Silicon Valley in California where they explore science museums and technology hubs, such as Autodesk, Google, and Apple.

School-wide, our Reading, Language, and Math courses are based on the ACT Standards of Readiness.  Scholars in grades 3-8 are required to take the ACT Aspire test each spring. This assessment is not a high stakes test, instead it is used to track and improve scholars' readiness for college and career. Curriculum and instructional strategies are adjusted as needed in response to ACT Aspire results, called benchmarks. As a result, Hope Academy scholars score 17% higher than the national average on the Pre-ACT.

 

According to ACT.org, fewer than 2 in 10 eighth graders in America are on target to be ready for college- and career-level work by the time they graduate. By monitoring readiness using the ACT Aspire beginning in 3rd grade, Hope Academy scholars have a better chance of success in first-year credit-bearing college courses.

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